Part 1 - Open to the Public ITEM NO. 5

REPORT OF THE ELECTORAL RETURNING OFFICER.

TO: ELECTORAL MATTERS COMMITTEE ON 15 MARCH 2017

TITLE: 2018 Boundary Commission Review of Parliamentary Constituencies

RECOMMENDATION:

Members are asked to note the current position in respect of the Boundary Commission’s ongoing review of Parliamentary constituency boundaries and to approve the submission of further representations by the City Council.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

This report provides Members of the Electoral Matters Committee with details of the current position in respect of the Boundary Commission’s ongoing review of Parliamentary constituency boundaries.

BACKGROUND DOCUMENTS:

(a)Boundary Commission for : Guide to the 2018 review of Parliamentary Constituencies (July 2016)

(b)Boundary Commission: Initial Proposals 13 September 2016

(c)First stage representations www.bce2018.org.uk

1 KEY DECISION: NO

DETAILS:

1.1 On 13 September, 2016, the Boundary Commission formally published their initial proposals for public consultation.

1.2 In respect of Greater , Wirral and Cheshire Sub-region, the initial proposals document indicates:-

“The reduction of 2 from the current 27 constituencies to 25 would result in significant change in the metropolitan county, and we considered that most of the change would have to take place in the east of the county where a greater proportion of existing constituencies had electorates that were small.”

“In , 11 constituencies are currently within the electoral range and, being mindful of local ties, we tried to retain as many of the existing constituencies with as little change as possible.”

“The constituencies of Wigan, Makerfield, Leigh, and South, Salford and Eccles, and Broughton, Manchester Gorton, Manchester Withington and Wythenshawe and sale East are therefore completely unchanged in our proposals.”

1.3 The North West has been allocated 68 constituencies. A reduction of 7 from 75.

1.4 14 of the North West’s constituencies remain unchanged.

1.5 The proposed split of constituencies across the sub-regions in the North West is as follows:-

Sub-Region Existing Allocation Proposed Allocation Cumbria 6 5 Lancashire 16 14 Merseyside 11 10 Greater Manchester, the 42 39 Wirral and Cheshire

1.6 The initial proposals have been subject to a 12 week consultation period.

1.7 Written and oral representations were requested from interested parties on the initial proposals and public hearings were held to receive oral representations. (representations made in respect of the 3 Salford constituencies attached as an Appendix A)

1.8 There is now a 4 week consultation period on the initial representations. This consultation period ends on 27 March 2017.

2 1.9 The BCE will then produce a written report considering the representations received and recommending whether the initial proposals should be revised. If the initial proposals are to be revised, then a further 8 week consultation period is held for further written representations to be made. The BCE expect this final consultation period (if required) to be held at the end of 2017/early 2018.

1.10 Following the receipt of any further written representations, the BCE will then decide on its final recommendations and publish these in a final report to Government. The final report marks the end of the review.

1.11 The procedure to implement the new constituencies will then be the responsibility of Government and Parliament.

1.12 Also attached at Appendix B is the City Council’s response of 17 November 2016 to the BCE’s initial proposals.

KEY COUNCIL POLICIES: N/A

EQUALITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT AND IMPLICATIONS: N/A

ASSESSMENT OF RISK: Low

LEGAL IMPLICATIONS Supplied by: N/A

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS Supplied by: N/A

OTHER DIRECTORATES CONSULTED:

N/A

CONTACT OFFICER: Neil Watts TEL NO: 0161 793 3446

WARDS TO WHICH REPORT RELATES: All

3 APPENDIX A

Boundary Commission Review of Parliamentary Constituencies (2018):

Representations made at the recent public hearings

(A)Blackley & Broughton Constituency

2. CLLR MERRY: I am John Merry, I am representing . We have a mayoral system in Salford and I am the deputy mayor of Salford and I am here at the request of the mayor to make representations about the nature of the constituencies surrounding Salford.

We are in support of the Boundary Commission proposals and opposed to alternatives that have been suggested to us. Last time you took two wards from Salford – I represent one of those particular wards – and combined them with some Manchester wards to form the Blackley and Broughton constituency. Obviously, after some initial misgivings, we have settled down and worked very effectively together and worked very effectively with the local MP.

We are in a situation now where Salford is the fastest growing area over the next five to ten years in the Greater Manchester area and I think it is likely that in future Boundary Commission reviews you will want to return to this particular subject when the full effects of that growth is actually known. At the moment we feel your particular recommendation takes account of the situation in Salford.

I recognise you have a different set of criteria from the ones which you have employed previously and I do understand the overriding need to ensure that the numbers in each constituency are within the small tolerances prescribed for you and, of course, your proposals did actually meet that particular need.

An alternative proposal I have seen suggested is that you move the boundary so that is incorporated with some of the Manchester wards and Broughton and Kersal. Whilst I recognise that the most important thing for you is to maintain numbers, it seems to me that you have also got a secondary responsibility that if you can do it within the numbers to take account of regional reasonable boundaries, and, of course, although the other side is on the other side of the Irwell, it has not got a great deal in common with Blackley ward, for example, as has been proposed in one particular proposal and we would be very concerned about it. In particular, the ward of Irwell Riverside comprises much of the traditional heart of Salford. It comprises the cathedral, the old administrative centre and Chapel Street, and we think it fits more naturally with the constituency that you propose, which is basically the Salford and Eccles one and maintaining the Salford and Eccles boundary.

I am here, which is rather unusual for me, when I have attended a number of these, to express support for the Boundary Commission proposals. I recognise you have got a difficult job to do. I think within the confines of that

4 you have done a very reasonable effort in terms of Greater Manchester and we believe your particular proposals should be supported.

2. MR STRINGER (Member of Parliament for Blackley and Broughton): Graham Stringer, Member of Parliament for Blackley and Broughton and I live at 25 Park Road, M8 4HT. I will not detain the Commission very long. I have got two very simple points to make in support of the Boundary Commission’s proposals for Manchester and Salford and as opposed to the proposals that have been put in by the Conservative Party.

The first point is that it appears that Manchester is being disrupted to its disbenefit and for the benefit of Bury and Bolton. I think there are two consequences of that, which are the main two points I want to make. When I appeared before the Boundary Commission when the current boundaries were set up, one of the defining characteristics of that discussion was the natural boundary over the River Irwell which forms the boundary of the Blackley and Broughton constituency. It is a natural boundary which, although is not ideal having a constituency in two cities –apart from the Member of Parliament who represents the City of Westminster,

I think I am the only MP who represents two constituencies – the communities of Broughton and Cheetham and Kersal merge into each other. They have a long history of Jewish and, more recently, immigration from, primarily, Pakistan but increasingly from the Indian subcontinent. A great deal of work is done to support the communities getting on together.

Actually, although the city boundary would have been a good boundary, the River Irwell is a more natural boundary and it fits with those communities. I would defy anybody who did not know where the boundary was to guess where the boundary between Cheetham and Broughton was. That constituency works. Conversely, because the River Irwell is a large natural boundary, if one goes across it to Riverside ward or some of the other wards that are currently in the Salford constituency, there is very little connection or community similarity between those wards and the wards of North Manchester and, indeed, of Broughton and Kersal.

That natural boundary, the natural community links that are there that would not be there in the proposed new constituency of Salford and Blackley is, I think, the first reason I would support the Boundary Commission’s proposal .

3. Martin Connolly, Blackley and Broughton Constituency Labour Party. We support your proposals for Greater Manchester which leaves the constituencies of Wigan, Makerfield, Leigh, Worsley and Eccles South, Salford and Eccles, Manchester Gorton, Manchester Withington, Wythenshawe and Sale East and our own constituency of Blackley and Broughton, completely unchanged.

5 We are concerned to learn of the Conservative Party’s proposals for Greater Manchester which would lead to the creation of a Salford and Blackley constituency comprised of 2 Manchester wards, Crumpsall and Higher Blackley, 2 Salford wards, Broughton and Kersal, separated by the River Irwell from the Salford wards of Eccles, Irwell Riverside, , and Weaste and Seedley. This breach of the special geographical boundary of the River Irwell is unacceptable and unnecessary.

4. Graham Stringer, MP. I am responding to the above publication by the Boundary Commission for the new parliamentary constituency boundaries.

I note the Initial proposals for the Greater Manchester, Wirral and Cheshire sub-region.

I support your proposals for Greater Manchester which leaves the constituencies of Wigan, Makerfield, Leigh, Worsley and Eccles South, Salford and Eccles, Manchester Gorton, Manchester Withington, Wythenshawe and Sale East and my own constituency of Blackley and Broughton, completely unchanged.

I am concerned to learn of the Conservative Party’s proposals for Greater Manchester which would lead to the creation of a Salford and Blackley constituency comprised of 2 Manchester wards, Crumpsall and Higher Blackley, 2 Salford wards, Broughton and Kersal, separated by the River Irwell from the Salford wards of Eccles, Irwell Riverside, Langworthy, Ordsall and Weaste and Seedley. This breach of the special geographical boundary of the River Irwell is unacceptable and unnecessary.

I support the Labour Party’s proposals to this review.

5. Alexander Maitland. Mirabel Street in Manchester ought to be within the boundaries of the Manchester Central constituency, as opposed to Blackley and Broughton.

The issues which affect Manchester Central also affect Mirabel Street, far much more so than those of Blackley and Broughton. From crime, to parking, to pollution, the aforementioned issues tie Mirabel Street much more tightly to Manchester Central than our current constituency.

6. Pamela Crossland. I live in the Blackley (often Mispronounced) & Broughton constituency. Manchester has two constituencies that cross boundaries in Blackley & Broughton and Wythenshawe and Sale East. If the two cross-boundary constituencies were brought back into Manchester, it would mean better geographical boundaries, even if one constituency is lost. However, the population of Manchester has been increasing which should in effect mean at least one new constituency. The city centre is now quite a large ward and it would be better to remove Moston and Newton Heath and give the Broughton and Kersal areas back to Salford and create a new north Manchester constituency.

6 If this is not possible, perhaps a renaming of the constituency from the oft mispronounced Blackley & Broughton to a better, Manchester North & Salford East. Both the Blackley Ward, and Broughton Wards of the constituency have bad reputations for crime so a renamed geographical constituency would be better.

Other constituencies could also be renamed such as Wythenshawe and Sale East as Manchester South and Trafford East.

7. Chris Boyko The Blackley and Broughton constituency (and Cheetham Hill ward) includes a couple of streets inside Trinity Way (towards Manchester city centre), namely Mirabel Street, Breslyn Street and some of New Bridge Street. These few streets bear little, if any, resemblance to the rest of the constituency (and ward), and are rarely, if ever, recognised by Councillors, the MP and political candidates, leaving its residents feeling isolated. These streets are more aligned with those of Manchester city centre and feel more ‘city centre-focused’. I, therefore, wonder if the constituency (and ward) boundaries might be re-drawn to include the above streets in the Manchester Central constituency (and city centre ward)?

8. Stephen Lees. I propose that the remaining three wards of the Blackley & Broughton constituency (Charlestown, Cheetham and ) should join the three northern wards of Manchester Central (Ancoats & Clayton, Miles Platting & Newton Heath and Moston) and the ward of West to form a constituency which would most appropriately be named Manchester North. The division of the town of Droylsden is not ideal but it enables satisfactory constituencies to be formed in the borough of Tameside (see section 10) and the Droylsden West ward has close links with the Clayton area of Manchester.

(B)Salford & Eccles Constituency

2. CLLR FERGUSON (): I am grateful that you are running late because I had difficulty finding the place and traffic coming into Liverpool. My name is John Ferguson.I live at 43 Gladstone Street, Pendlebury, which is in the constituency of Salford and Eccles. I am here today, one, as a resident of Salford; secondly, I am a councillor on Salford City Council and represent the ward of Pendlebury where I have lived for about 40 years now. I am also Chair of the Salford and Eccles constituency Labour Party.

At the outset, I would like to state that I do not envy the job that the Boundary Commissioners have in reducing the number of seats within the area with the strict limits on number of electors in each of the new constituency. It is no easy task and you are bound to disappoint people. Nevertheless, under the circumstances, I think that you have done a very good job.

7 I am here to say that we are happy with the proposals that you have got covering the and, in particular, my constituency of Salford and Eccles. Salford as a City has an electorate of 162,645 and is entitled to 2.18 constituencies. You have done that by maintaining the current situation of keeping us with the constituency of Worsley and Eccles South, Salford and Eccles, and then the 0.18, the two wards of Kersal and Broughton, in the Blackley and Broughton constituency.

You have kept to the criteria I think that you have got of, one, keeping to local authority boundaries as much as possible. Salford, which is an ancient city with a long tradition of culture, industry and that people are proud to live there, you have respected those boundaries as much as possible and respected the local ties. I have got to say that in the ward that I live in, when people go shopping they either go to Salford Precinct which is in the Pendleton ward part of the constituency, or Swinton Centre, once again, which is in the ward.

You have respected, as I say, the existing constituencies which we are grateful for and I think that you have looked at the geographical considerations. To the north of the constituency, you have got the River Irwell which provides a boundary between Salford and Bury. As I say, it is a river but there is also a country park there.

There are, actually, only two roads which go between the constituency and Bury in that area. One is the M62 motorway and the other is Agecroft Road, Rainsough Brow.

Those are the only two roads that go into Bury from there. There is public transport,one bus an hour during the day and no transport during the evening. I am making those points because I understand that some people are coming up with other alternatives and perhaps at a later stage in this process that you are going through I can comment on those. To the south of the constituency you have got the Manchester Ship Canal, again, a major waterway and a major dividing line between Salford and Trafford.

The only point I want to make today that we think that you have kept to the criteria and we are very much supporting of the proposals that you have made. I do not know whether that is a strange thing for you or not, but everybody else probably comes and complains. We want to say thank you very much for what you have done and urge you to resist any other proposals which may be just playing about with numbers which do not maintain the criteria that you have got to decide upon.

THE LEAD ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER: Thank you very much, Mr Ferguson. Just a point of information, because you were not here when I was explaining earlier, there is a distinction here between the Boundary Commission over here and myself who have been appointed by the Boundary Commission to conduct this review and, essentially, act as an honest broker.

Between all of us with views on how constituencies might be formed and the Boundary Commission have drawn up these Initial Proposals. That is just one general point because it is worth it for the room to make the point. The second

8 thing is, on behalf of the Boundary Commission, I imagine it is pretty rare for them to have heard praise from Salford for proposals.

CLLR FERGUSON: We did not last time but we will accept what was decided last time.

THE LEAD ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER: I was involved in the last one and this may be the first time I have heard anyone say “well done” for Salford, but thank you for that. Can I ask if there are any points of clarification from anyone in the room? (No response) No, thank you very much indeed.

2. MR DICKMAN: Stuart Dickman, 81 St Peter’s Road Salford, M27 0NB. I would like to echo some of the comments by John Ferguson. I am here to particularly welcome the Boundary Commission. As you have said, in previous time you have not had support from Salford. I know in the previous review and before 2010 there were a lot of changes there and then the 2013 review there was a lot of impact where Salford did not even have a constituency. I am particularly welcome of the proposals overall for the North West but particularly for Salford and Eccles. I think for Salford and Eccles, it minimises the impact, the disruption to the existing seats for Salford and Eccles, for Worsley and Eccles South and the surrounding constituencies. I feel that the Commission’s proposals have managed, overall for Greater Manchester to keep the 11 out of the 27 seats as whole constituencies and with a lot of the other constituencies with only small adjustments, I think that for me is very welcome.

Although it is a difficult job that you have had to reduce the seats down, I think by managing to keep a lot of those together is particularly welcome.

Just touching on what John had mentioned about Salford and Eccles, it seems to be proposals that could be coming towards which will put counter- proposals to what you have put forward which will cross over to other local authorities where there are no community links, where there is poor transport links and, as John Ferguson has mentioned, the river divide which the Boundary Commission have already kept to.

I would particularly welcome the report that has been put forward and I would hope that any counter-proposals would be rejected.

3. Peter Groves. This splits traditional communities and doesn’t give a coherent voice to the major towns of Salford. What you’ve done is haphazardly divide both the middle and working class population of Salford so there is a mixed bag of an electorate who don’t necessarily hold any shared vision of what their future communities should achieve. An utter pig’s ear, dreamt up in the Westminster bubble. It would be wonderful if some of you actually visited the North (not just Old Trafford and a day visit to London on Sea... sorry, I meant to say Salford Quays) and not just regard us as a remedial tax soaking swamp. Rest assured, we dislike you as much as you utterly disregard us.

9 (C) Worsley & Eccles South Constituency

1.CLLR LINDLEY: ( Ward) Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Councillor Iain Lindley of 5 Park Court, Worsley, M28 7EU. I am one of three councillors for the Walkden South Ward in the Worsley and Eccles South Constituency.

I wish to speak briefly today in support of two Commission proposals for the Worsley and Eccles South Constituency and also for the Halton Constituency, which is an area I used to work in. I stood, in the interests of full disclosure, as the Conservative parliamentary candidate for the Worsley and Eccles South Constituency in both the 2010 and the 2015 general elections.

West Salford is not an easy place to draw constituency boundaries. Barton Moss and Chat Moss make it an interesting geographical area, particularly with regard to the geographic nature of the towns of and Cadishead. However, I think that the Worsley and Eccles South Constituency, as currently formed and as proposed to continue to form under the Commission’s original proposals, is as good a fit as we can get. We have towns with similar needs and interests, well-linked by transport links, particularly the M60 motorway and the local roads that go alongside it, that is, Walkden Road, Worsley Road, Barton Road and Bolton Road, depending on which bit of the constituency you are in, but, generally speaking, it is the same road. It allows for continuity, of course, with the existing constituency as well. I do not think there is a better way to draw the west of Salford than we have currently, and I was very pleased with the Commission’s original proposals that it was to be retained.

The only thing I would say, in the interests again of full disclosure, is that I have never liked the name of the constituency. It is Worsley and the south of the old Eccles constituency rather than the south of Eccles, which are two very different things. However, given that the proposal is to retain the constituency as is, I think that changing the name would probably do more harm and cause more confusion than good, so I was very pleased to support the Commission’s proposals there.

2. Michael Wilde. In the Worsley and South Eccles constituency it should be noted that you have amalgamated an area that has boundaries with districts from Wigan, Bolton, Trafford and Warrington at least.

Therefore you have an area that has very differing priorities in the north to the south and east and west. 1 area is an inner city area, one is an area suffering unemployment due to industry loss and out on a limb from the local authority and one is an Urbanised area with people commuting to work in surrounding cities.

The reason for this is that the constituency is loaded for labour, However local election wards will show different results especially in the Worsley and Boothstown area.

However by including this area in this constituency you will have voided there

10 opinions and choice offering them no hope of ever returning any party other than labour thus nullifying all other voters choice further possibly reducing those voting and creating the feeling with them that they are disenfranchised.

I would suggest that the local wards of Worsley and Boothstown, Walkden, joins Farnworth and Kearsley and Tyldsley.

By doing this you would allow for a fairer representation and equal chance for all political parties not just an area loaded for Labour.

(D)General representations across constituencies.

1. Craig Aston- Conservative Party Proposals

We propose a Salford and Blackley seat which continues to combine Higher Blackley and Crumpsall with Kersal and Broughton but reunites these two wards with central Salford where they were included prior to 2010. So this seat has seven Salford wards and two Manchester wards.

We would thus link the Swinton and Pendlebury area of Salford with the Prestwich area of Bury. There are close links between these two areas along the M60. We note there is much more open space between Prestwich and Unsworth with Middleton as the Commission propose than there is between Prestwich and Pendlebury as we alternatively propose.

We would retain Worsley and Eccles South as an unchanged constituency in agreement with the Commission’s proposal which is compliant with Rule 5 (1) c.

Salford and Blackley BC (77,876 electors) Changed from Commission’s Salford and Eccles

Swinton and Prestwich BC (71,826 electors) Changed from Commission’s Prestwich and Middleton

Worsley and Eccles South CC (72,316 electors) As per Commission’s proposals

Salford and Blackley BC E05000698 Crumpsall 10,546 Manchester Salford and Blackley BC E05000705 Higher Blackley 10,298 Manchester Salford and Blackley BC E05000761 Broughton 8,412 Salford Salford and Blackley BC E05000764 Eccles 8,514 Salford Salford and Blackley BC E05000766 Irwell Riverside 6,439 Salford Salford and Blackley BC E05000767 Kersal 7,756 Salford Salford and Blackley BC E05000768 Langworthy 8,058 Salford Salford and Blackley BC E05000770 Ordsall 9,482 Salford Salford and Blackley BC E05000776 Weaste and Seedley 8,371 Salford

Swinton and Prestwich BC E05000670 Besses 7,667 Bury Swinton and Prestwich BC E05000674 Holyrood 8,333 Bury

11 APPENDIX B

COUNCIL RESPONSE TO THE BCE INITIAL PROPOSALS

Electoral Services Team Legal & Governance Division Salford City Council, Town Hall Boundary Commission Chorley Road, Swinton M27 5DA for England Phone0161 793 3446 35 Great Smith Street London Fax 0161 793 3208 SW1P 3BQ email [email protected]

Web www.salford.gov.uk

17 November 2016 My Ref BCE Review 2018

Dear Sir/Madam,

2018 Review of Parliamentary Constituencies

Salford City Council welcomes the Boundary Commission’s proposal for no changes to be made to the following existing Parliamentary constituencies within the Salford boundary:-

 Worsley & Eccles South  Salford & Eccles; and  Blackley & Broughton

In support of the Boundary Commission’s decision that no changes be made to the above Parliamentary constituencies, the following information is provided:-

(A) Statutory Electorate Range

The total electorate within the 3 Parliamentary constituencies falls within the review requirement that every constituency in England must have an electorate (as at the review date) that is no smaller than 71,031 and no larger than 78,507.

12 Constituency Electorate (as at 1 December 2015) Worsley & Eccles South 72,316 Salford & Eccles 74,161 Blackley & Broughton (cross 72,033 boundary constituency with Manchester)

(B) Population Growth

The retention of Salford’s existing constituencies is welcomed, particularly given the forecasted population increases in future years.

Salford’s total population has been growing since 2001. The growth has been fuelled primarily by migration from overseas and by births.

In mid 2014, there were 242,000 people estimated to be living in the city, an increase of 1.3% over the 12 month period from 2013. This rate of increase was almost double the rates estimated for Greater Manchester and England and Wales over the same period.

During 2013-14, almost half of the estimated population growth in Salford can be attributed to international migration (49%) and natural change (births minus deaths) was responsible for a slightly smaller proportion (45%).

Over the period 2016-2021:

- Natural change is expected to be around +1700 per annum - Net UK migration is expected to be around -500 per annum - Net international migration is expected to be around +1,100 per annum

During the period 2016/19, Salford’s population is projected to increase from 247,300 to 254,600: an increase of 7,300 or 3%. Over a slightly longer 5 year period to 2021 the increase is projected to be 11,800 or 5%.

During the period 2015-2035, Salford’s population is projected to increase from 245,000 to 286,000: an increase of 41,000 or 17%; higher than both Greater Manchester (10%) and England (13%).

13 Projected Total Population Change Population Projection - Total, NUMBER (Thousands) AREA 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035 England 54,613 56,582 58,431 60,107 61,603 GM 2,749 2,832 2,906 2,972 3,030 Salford 245 257 268 277 286

Population Projection - Change, NUMBER (Thousands) AREA 2015-20 2020-25 2025-30 2030-35

England 1,969 1,848 1,676 1,496 GM 83 74 65 58 Salford 12 11 9 9

Population Projection - Change, % AREA 2015-20 2020-25 2025-30 2030-35 England 3.6% 3.3% 2.9% 2.5% GM 3.0% 2.6% 2.3% 2.0% Salford 5.0% 4.2% 3.3% 3.2%

Source: ONS 2012 based sub-national population projections

Working age people (age 16-64) is projected to increase by 3,300 (2%) over the next 3 years and by 1,900 (5%) over the next 5 years.

People aged 65+ is projected to increase by 1,100 (3%) over the next 3 years and by 1,900 (5%) over the next 5 years.

(C) Housing Growth

Housing provision in Salford is growing to accommodate the population growth.

Between 2005 and 2015 there were 9,000 new Salford dwellings. It is estimated that there will be just over 21,000 new dwellings built over the next decade, giving a yearly average 4 times greater than that seen over the last 5 years. 73% are expected to be apartments and 27% houses.

(D) Communities and City Identity

Evidence shows that local pride increases turnout in local and general elections. Communities, a sense of self-direction and identity are vital for a functioning democracy, and we are pleased

14 that the Boundary Commission has recognised the boundaries of Salford in its present form.

Salford is a well-established city with a strong sense of local pride. Long-standing former industrial communities share strong bonds, and a shared history which is not easily forgotten. These bonds foster a genuine civic purpose within our city, and administrative change risks breaking apart cohesive communities.

The Council and its partners have worked hard at both a grassroots and strategic level to strengthen civic pride and a sense of community, bringing people together with a range of community and civic events.

At a neighbourhood level, there are many examples of community identity and local pride with schools and colleges providing good examples of how people identify with local areas.

The Council has had in place formal neighbourhood delivery areas across the city for many years. These delivery areas provide a focus for much of the work undertaken by the Council and its partners. Any changes to constituency boundaries could potentially have a knock-on impact on these existing structures.

In addition, the Council has worked hard to promote the identity of Salford. Salford Quays, Salford City Reds Stadium, MediaCityUK, the Lowry Theatre and the Bridgewater Canal are all major successes which will be strengthened further by RHS Bridgewater in 2019. Local people have a pride in Salford’s national and international recognition. These and many other key local assets should continue to remain within Salford constituencies.

The Council therefore supports the view expressed by the Boundary Commission in respect of the constituencies in Greater Manchester that existing local ties should be recognised.

There are natural features within the city such as the River Irwell and the Manchester Ship canal that provide natural boundaries to constituencies.

Over a significant period of time, Salford City Council, Greater Manchester Police and the Health Service have developed co- terminus boundaries in respect of service provision which could be impacted upon should any changes in constituency boundaries occur.

15 (E) Economic Growth

Salford is also seeing unprecedented levels of economic growth with significant investment in many parts of the city.

Salford has one of the fastest growing economies outside of London and investment is attracted partly as a result of Salford’s growing national and international reputation and its strong identity.

Salford’s growth strategy is transforming iconic buildings, new infrastructure, houses, education facilities, health facilities and businesses.

From major developments to city parks, revitalised waterways and green spaces, Salford is being rebuilt and more people than ever are choosing Salford as a place to live, work, invest and visit.

Salford is capitalising on its unique identity and assets for the benefit of its growing population. Any changes to Parliamentary constituency boundaries could have an impact on Salford’s potential to deliver its growth strategy.

Salford has already undergone significant change, having already lost significant assets in previous boundary reviews.

In summary, Salford City Council fully supports the retention of the 3 existing constituencies within the city boundary with no changes as proposed by the Boundary Commission.

Should you require any clarification or further information, please do not hesitate to contact my Electoral Services Manager, Neil Watts using the contact details above.

Yours sincerely

Jim Taylor City Director, Salford City Council

16